ASSESSING CHILD SAFETYASSESSING CHILD SAFETY Central to our core mission

Competencies Ability to complete a safety assessment by identifying specific safety threats and determining safety threshold Ability to identify family developmental stages and everyday family management tasks that interrupt family functioning and create safety threats

Child Safety FrameworkChild Safety Framework Informs and guides child safety decisions throughout the life of a case. Provides precise language and clear definitions. Strengthens child safety assessments and planning. Guides appropriate placement decisions.

The likelihood (chance, potential, prospect) for parenting behavior that is harmful and destructive to a child’s cognitive, social, emotional and/or physical development and those with parenting responsibility are unwilling or unable to behave differently.

Safe Child Children are considered safe when there are no present danger or impending danger threats or the caregiver’s protective capacities control all known safety threats. Definition:

CapacitiesProtective Capacities Behavioral, cognitive and emotional characteristics that can specifically and directly be associated with a person’s ability and willingness to care and keep a child safe. Definition:

Unsafe Child Children are considered unsafe when they are vulnerable to present or impending danger and caregivers are unable or unwilling to provide protection. Definition:

Present danger is immediate, significant and clearly observable severe harm or threat of severe harm occurring in the present. Definition: Present Danger

Immediate and significant Clearly observable Occurring in the present Child MUST be protected from the present danger Child may or may not need ongoing protection – Assess for Impending Danger Present Danger

Impending Impending Danger Parenting behavior that is harmful and destructive to a child’s cognitive, social, emotional or physical development that is likely to occur in the immediate or near future that could result in one or more of the following outcomes: Serious or severe harm Injury requiring medical attention Life endangering illness Death Definition:

Threats to a child’s safety are not immediate, and may not be obvious or occurring at onset of CPS intervention Threats are identified and understood through individual and family relationships and functioning Without safety intervention one could reasonably judge potential for severe harm Impending Impending Danger

Safety Threshold In order to determine if a safety threat exists ALL of these five criteria must be met: 1.Severe consequences to a child 2.Immediate or will occur in the near future 3.Vulnerable child in relation to the safety threat 4.Out of control 5.Behaviors, conditions, etc., are specific, observable and clearly understood

Responding to Present Danger vs. Responding to Impending Danger 1. Present danger threats are controlled by immediate protective actions 2. Impending danger threats are controlled by safety plans: Impending danger threats are identified through a comprehensive safety assessment Safety plans are developed with families and other child safety supports

Risk is concerned with…Safety is concerned with… Whether a family is more or less likely to have another incident of abuse or neglect without agency intervention Current dangerous family conditions and behaviors The assessment of future maltreatment on a continuum from low to very high Severe forms of maltreatment only and the certainty of the severe effects on the child Characteristics of family functioningFamily conditions that meet the safety threshold Current and historical information, patterns, and behaviors Specific threats to a child’s safety now or in the near-future Family conditions and behaviors that impair parenting capacity Family conditions and behaviors that are currently out-of-control Evaluation of conditions and behaviors that may need services and treatment Conditions and behaviors that require control and management A limited number of validated characteristics that are related to the likelihood of future abuse or neglect A limited number of specific factors threatening child safety

Parent parks her car in front of the pharmacy and leaves her 2-year- old and 6-month-old in the car in their car seats while she gets prescriptions filled for the children. She watches them from the front door of the pharmacy while she waits for her prescription. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

Dad is depressed. He is reluctant about taking his medication because it makes him feel “out of it.” He can’t stand his job; doesn’t see how things will be different; has little energy to spend time with the children. Dad is inconsistent in providing some meals but the children are generally fed. Children go to school dirty and tired because the Dad is inconsistent about cleaning their clothes and getting them to bed. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

Parent is picked up by police for drunk driving and has children ages 2 and 3 years in the car. There is no other driver available. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

A dependent six-year-old was last seen by a teacher four days ago. At the last parent-teacher conference, the foster mother appeared to be intoxicated (slurred speech and smell of alcohol), but was not driving the child. The foster mother also had bruises on both arms in the shape of finger prints. There have been four prior screened in intakes for neglect on this family. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

Single mother has two children, ages 2 and 6. The children were placed last year when the older child had bruises around his face, up and down his back, and required surgery to remove his spleen caused by a blow to his abdomen. Children were returned after the mother stopped drinking and was able to show utilization of skills learned in parenting instruction. She stopped using corporal punishment. Mother has relapsed and the older child reports that she yells a lot at both the children and spanks them hard. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

A 14-year-old boy in special education classes comes to school with redness and bruising on his jaw and cheek. He tells the teacher that his father hit him last night. He says that his father hits him a lot and has been telling the boy that he likes to fight him. The boy says that usually he doesn’t mind but this time his dad hit him all over his head “really hard” and that he doesn’t want to go home. Safety Threat Risk or Safety Threat?

Children in Licensed and Unlicensed Care When children are determined to be unsafe in licensed or unlicensed care, children are removed.

CA is responsible for the safety of children and this responsibility cannot be delegated to others. Protective actions, safety planning and continuous safety management are the strategies used by CA to keep children safe. Responsibility for SafetyResponsibility for Safety

Supporting Best Practice Moving Away from Incident Based Practice Information Based Safety Assessment

Gathering Information Gathering Information to determine if Impending Danger Exists 1.What is the nature and extent of maltreatment? 2.What surrounding circumstances accompany the maltreatment? 3.How does the child/children function on a daily basis? 4.How does the parent/caregiver discipline the child? 5.What are the overall parenting and child care practices? 6.How does the parent/caregiver manage his/her own life on a daily basis?

Weigh all gathered information Assign significance to the information Determine if safety threats exists Assessing

Let’s look at your cases: 1.Developmental stage of the family 2.Gathering questions 3.Safety Threats 4.Safety Threshold 5.Assessing danger